A crackdown on
plastic bags could spell good news for West Coast distributors. A ban on
plastic bags took effect in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles on July 1, and shops in the area will
no longer be able to offer plastic bags to customers. Shoppers will have the
option of paying 10 cents for each recyclable paper bag they use to carry home
groceries – or they could use totes, canvas bags and the like.

As such,
distributors can capitalize on sales of reusable bags, which have become so
popular in the promotional market. In fact, in preparation for the new plastic
bag ban, L.A.County has already given away hundreds of
free canvas bags. Additionally, distributors could pitch everyone from grocery
chains to corner stores on the benefits of selling/providing customers with
bags that bare the company's logo.

Approved in
November, the ban aims to reduce by 50% the number of plastic bags that end up
littering landfills, river beds and other areas. The ban is effective at large
grocery chains today and will be expanded to cover every store subject to the
ordinance by January. The prohibition on plastic will not apply to restaurant
carryout operations or food trucks.

Heal the Bay,
an environmental group, estimates that California spends $25 million annually collecting
and disposing of plastic bags. Only 5% are recycled. Some area cities,
including Santa Monica and Malibu, have instituted similar bans.
"It's our way of encouraging everyone to do what's right for the
environment," says L.A. Supervisor Gloria Molina.